


A Past Never Forgotten

by dxnsalemons



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen, POV Annabeth Chase, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:14:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22641667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dxnsalemons/pseuds/dxnsalemons
Summary: The life of Annabeth told through her perspective, through a series of nightmares
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	A Past Never Forgotten

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all comments wil be appreciated! I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions. I hope y'all enjoy!  
> (And yes, I changed the scene from The Lightning Thief to match how it happened in the musical, sue me)
> 
> TW//Suicidal thoughts

Annabeth used to find comfort in her mind. She was a daughter of Athena afterall, her mind was her power. Percy had control over water, he could create grand hurricanes and earthquakes that could stretch from the East to the West Coast; Hazel can raise an army of fallen soldiers and command them to fight at her side; Frank can transform into animals, Jason and Thalia can call lightning whenever they pleased; Annabeth had her mind alone, and that was all she needed.

Her cleverness led her through the labyrinth, her wisdom allowed her to successfully follow the Mark of Athena, deception and manipulation allowed her to defeat Arachne and secure the Athena Parthenos, _and her hubris landed her in Tartarus._

__Tartarus.__ The very thought of it would make any half-blood’s skin crawl. It was the pit of darkness, the final destination for every monster, titan or ancient deity that had been defeated in the mortal world. No half-blood had ever dared to enter, very few had even been close to an entrance. No half-blood had breathed in the sulphurous air, none had ever heard the deep, fear-inducing voice of Tartarus himself, _but she had._

Since that quest, since the day Percy let go of that ledge, since the moment they fell into the endless pit, the voice was all she could hear, she could not take a single breath without the feeling of her lungs burning within her. There has not been a day since then where she ever felt comfort within her own mind.

To her amazement, she even found herself trying to follow Leo’s advice, ‘if I don’t think, I don’t feel’. Back on the Argo II, she once laughed at his comments, thinking his ridiculous life mottos must be why he’s so strange. But now, she was desperate.

Don’t think, don’t feel, she told herself. Don’t think, don’t feel. Don’t think, don’t feel.

She tried and tried, but it was just not in her nature. No matter how hard she tried to clear her mind, her memories would always be there to haunt her.

“I am a daughter of Athena,” She often told herself. “One of the seven of the great heroes of prophecy. They must see fire in my eyes when they look upon my face, not tears.”

But how could they see anything but fear? It was all she knew. Fear of the past, fear of the future, fear of herself.

Even now, after Gaia has been returned to her slumber, after Kronos was once again, cut up to a thousand pieces and the giants had been banished to Tartarus, fear still controlled her every move. From day to night to day again, the fear consumed her, gnawing away at her mind, plaguing any piece of positivity she could find. She could not remember the last time she left her cabin without having a panic attack. She no longer saw the dining pavilion, the archery range or Pegasus stables for what it has always been. Instead, she saw piles of bodies and ash. She felt the heat of raging fires and the smell of smoke irritating her nostrils. All she could hear was the screams of her friends, _her family._

This is the world Luke wanted, she thought to herself, a world where the gods were destroyed, a world where Camp Half-Blood was no more than splinters, and _she_ was the only one left standing.

But no matter how difficult her days might be, no matter how terrifying; the night was always worse.

Demigods almost never had a peaceful night’s rest. Their dreams were often occupied by visions of the future or past, or messages from god’s that needed help or wanted to issue a quest. Annabeth trained herself to block these messages out so she wouldn’t have anymore ungrateful gods asking for more favours she knew they would never repay. But now, that ability was gone, and Annabeth had to suffer the horrors of her past once more.

As she lay in her bunk, staring at the empty ceiling where her mother’s symbol once hung, listening to her siblings soundly asleep, she realised how tired she was, though not just physically; she was emotionally exhausted, with her mind never being able to replenish - she was on a never ending cycle of panic, fear and pain.

Some nights, she even found herself wishing for that night to be the last, _just let me enter Elysium,_ she begged. One night, she even prayed for it, the one thing she vowed to never do again. She didn’t want to have to rely on any god again - not Athena, not anyone. But she prayed to her mother, to Thanatos or to any god that would listen.

_Just let me die, she prayed, let me finally know peace._

Though in her heart she knew this was not her fate. The gods would never let their heroes experience a simple death; no matter how much they suffered. She remembered what Chiron once told her, that he never knew a hero whose life didn’t end in tragedy. Naive as she was, Annabeth told him she would be the first to survive, she would not succumb to death the way ancient heroes had. He never told her, but she knew the old centaur wanted to believe it. Since the dawn of time, Chiron had trained heroes, guiding them as well as he could through life. He has seen thousands of heroes leave for quests and never come home. But Annabeth was different, she was more than a hero to him. From the day she arrived at camp, he not only trained, but nurtured her; trying to be the parent her father failed to be. And now, he had to sit idle, watching his daughter slowly fade into madness; becoming no more than an empty body of the girl she once was.

While her thoughts ran wild, pitying the life she has been cursed with, Annabeth felt her eyes close shut and the horrors of the past erupted.

She found herself standing in a cave, walls cracked and crumbling and decked in cobwebs. She looked up into the newly made hole in the roof. The Argo II hovered high above the ground, with Leo, Jason and Piper attempting to drag the Athena Parthenos aboard.

To her right, Percy gripped her hand tightly and stared at her in awe. She did it. She really did it.

Annabeth found the Athena Parthenos. She achieved what a thousand generations of children of Athena failed to do. Yet all she felt was dread. Her heart started to pound in her chest and her breathing became erratic.

Before she knew it, Annabeth was being pulled into Tartarus. She screamed and flailed, desperately trying to cling to anything that would stop her moving. Percy was frantically swinging his sword at the cobwebs attached to her foot.

From below, she could hear Archne cackling as she fell. She was being returned to Tartarus, yes, but knowing she single-handedly killed one of Olympus’ strongest heroes would make it worthwhile.

Annabeth shut her eyes tight, begging for the nightmare to end. Even now, she could smell the burning air, taste the fiery water of the Phlegethon. Worst of all, she saw Tartarus himself. The fifty foot shadow that knew only death and suffering, and he came to kill Percy and her personally.

By the time she opened her eyes, she was dangling over the pit of darkness, gripping onto Percy’s hand as tightly as possible.

“Percy..?” She spoke, though her voice barely audible, “Let me go, it’s okay.” The world was fading around her, the screaming voices of her friends were becoming evermore faint, the Argo II was no more than a blur in the sky. All she saw was Percy. His sea-green eyes, black hair messy and covered in dust and his face speckled with mud.  
“No. We’re staying together,” he promised. “You’re not getting away from me. Never again.”

Looking back, she knew exactly what this would entail. She wanted to yell, force him to drop her. Let him be free, she begged, let him remain himself. Tartarus destroyed her, burned her away from the inside out, it would torture her from that day until the end of days; but it broke Percy in ways she could not imagine. Despite her pleas, her mind refused to show her anything else but reality.

“As long as we’re together.” She promised him.

The moment that followed fell like a lifetime. They both knew what it felt like to hold the weight of the sky, Atlas saw to that, but this decision held more weight than she could possibly imagine.

And Percy let go of the ledge. Together, hand in hand, they fell into the bottomless pit.

As they fell, Annabeth wrapped her legs around Percy’s waist to prevent them from separating. She stared into his eyes, her only source of light, her last reminder of hope. But the longer she stared, the more his face started to fade.

“Percy...?” She whispered; but his face held a blank expression. In a panic, Annabeth shook his head, attempting to wake him from this trance. Smears of blood was left where her hands touched, cuts and bruises formed across his cheeks and bags darkened under his eyes. His mouth opened, but the voice that escaped was not his own. No, it was the roaring of Arai.

Before Annabeth had an opportunity to process the fear, she felt a burning pain surge through her body as she slammed into the floor of Tartarus. Her vision went black and the world fell silent.

_No,_ she begged. _Not this, not again. Please, not again._

“Percy?” Her voice broke, “Why did you leave me?”

Annabeth stammered to her feet, though her pain refused to subside. Her vision was still lost and her clothes were soaked in blood: her’s, Percy’s and a handful of Arai’s. “Percy, where are you?” She shouted helplessly, “Please, come back to me,”

She stumbled forward, to where she remembered the Arai last being. Though, without her sight, she could barely walk in a straight line, nevermind fighting the herd of Arai or possibly the army of monsters below the cliff to get to him. Eventually, she resorted to flailing her arms around, she must come into contact with something, right?

For what felt like an eternity, Annabeth stumbled around searching for her boyfriend, but it was as if he vanished, abandoning her in her most vulnerable state. The laughter of the Arai filled the empty void around them, their torturous remarks sending Annabeth into a state of insanity.

“He’s gone, ran with his tail between his legs,” One spoke.  
“Abandoned again, what a pitiful thing you are,” Another followed.

Abandoned. The pain struck her heart worse than she ever felt. Abandoned in Tartarus, by the one she loved most, after he promised he would never leave her side.

At that moment, she felt as helpless as she did at 7 years old. Weak and powerless, relying on others to protect her.

Suddenly, she was 7 years old again.

When her vision returned, Annabeth found herself running. In one hand, she held her bronze knife and in the other was Luke’s hand. The ground below them rumbled and cracks formed below her dainty feet. Her eyes darted around and landed on Thalia close at their heels with her shield in hand, blocking her head from the rocks being pelted at her from behind.

“Come on! Camp’s just up the hill!!” A high-pitched shout came from in front of them. Grover ran a few paces ahead, waving his arms around and shouting for help from the camp, but they were too far away for anyone to hear.

A shriek erupted from beside her as Luke flung from her side. She pivoted and stared into the single eye of a cyclops and then to his newly blooded mallet in hand. He ignored her and followed the direction Luke fell. Instinctively, she raced forward and pierced his foot with her dagger, allowing enough time for Thalia to help Luke to his feet.

With Luke leaning on her for support, Thalia ducked and darted out from underneath the cyclops that was still recovering from its injury and conjured lightning to strike a second.

Together, they raced forward towards the border of Camp Half-Blood. It was almost within their reach!

But the cyclopes had quickly recovered and were closing in. Instead of persisting forward, Thalia stopped. She passed Luke over to Grover’s shoulder, though he shook off the satyr’s support, insisting he stood himself.

Confused as to why she felt the need to stop, Annabeth reached for Thalia’s hand in an attempt to encourage them to press on. But she did not budge. Thalia looked off into the distance, back towards Manhattan, where the lights of the city were a beacon for all of New York. Her eyes darted to the top of Half-Blood Hill, and then at her family. At that moment, Annabeth knew the mistake she was about to make. She looked at Luke, and realised he understood too.

“We have to go guys, there’s no time!” Grover squeaked.  
“You guys go, I'll hold them off,” Thalia instructed.  
“No, no. We are all going.” Luke stated.  
“We won’t make it, it’s too far!” For a second, Thalia’s face shifted from her usual stern expression to fear, and then to sternness again. They had been on the run together for months, always hiding, never safe; but Thalia never showed fear, “Luke, you have to keep Annie safe, you hear me?”  
“Wait!” Annabeth interjected, desperate to gain her attention.  
Thalia knelt down before her, taking Annabeth’s hands in hers, “You stay safe, you hear me, Annie? You stay at camp, with Luke. You train and train and train some more. Make me proud, okay?”

Thalia got to her feet for a final time and turned back to Luke. She drew her sword from its sheath, and reaffirmed her grip on her shield, “You stay with her, Luke. Promise me. You won’t leave her.”  
Luke hesitated briefly, “I promise.”

With a silent goodbye, the courageous daughter of Zeus turned and let out a battle cry as she charged back down Half-Blood hill.

They watched for a moment, with a small ounce of hope remaining. Thalia has fought hundreds of monsters before, almost all were stronger, faster and more fearsome than cyclopes. She fought and fought; slashing and dodging, creating lightning in her steps, but the cyclopes did not seem to wavier.

“Come on, she’ll be fine.” Luke attempted to reassure her, but they both knew it to be a lie. He took her hand as they marched up the hill.

Near the peak of the hill, Annabeth turned back, hopeful to see Thalia victorious and closely following them to their new home.

Victorious she was, but not without a cost. Annabeth watched her dear friend limp up the hill, leaving behind a trail of blood. She clung to her abdomen as she moved, with every step she became slower and slower. Ignoring Grover’s warnings, Annabeth raced down to Thalia just in time to catch her as she fell.

“You did it, Thalia, you saved us,” Annabeth whispered as she cradled Thalia’s head in her arms. She weakly lifted her hand and wiped away her tears but left traces of blood upon her cheek.  
“Anything for family,” Thalia smiled faintly as her eyes closed. Her chest stopped rising and her arm fell limp at her side.

Through watery eyes, Annabeth looked up to Luke, who was standing over them both. He wiped a tear before it had a chance to fall.

In an instant, he seemed to age. This expression turned dark. His blue eyes transformed from a calm stream to a harsh ocean on the brink of a hurricane. He was more tan and taller, his hair untamed and a scar etched across his face.

She was different too, taller, stronger, more wise but completely exhausted. She examined her surroundings; the training grounds, the archery range and dining pavilion. She was at camp, she was home.

Beside her, Percy anxiously shifted on his feet and raised his sword, Riptide, as if he were ready to charge. Seeing him at camp caused her confusion, but it quickly subsided as her fear rose. He was scrawny, underweight and in desperate need of a haircut; exactly how he looked when they arrived home from their first quest.

Annabeth found herself holding onto the ring on her leather necklace, the way she always did when she was nervous. This was the day everything changed, the day that truly changed history.

“Come on, Annie,” Luke growled. His sword was aimed at Percy, with both metals glistening in the sunlight. She always hated that sword; Backbiter, he called it. A hero’s job was to protect the mortal world, protect the ones who cannot protect themselves, so why did he need a sword designed to kill mortals? Looking back now, it made perfect sense, if only she understood sooner. “Join us. Join _me._ ”

“I… I…” She mumbled. Her gaze darted back and forth from Luke to Percy and Luke again. She forced herself to focus on Luke, and how she would proceed.

Luke Castellan, her best friend. The man who saved her, protected her and taught her to protect herself. The man who taught her what love was, and that somewhere, no matter how far or wide, there will always be a family waiting for you.

But then, she had a new friend, too. Which, to this day, still surprises them both. Percy was exactly the type of person she despised, he was ill-mannered, reckless and the son of one of her mother’s worst enemies. Yet she grew fond of him still and even more so, developed a crush on the son of Poseidon. Though she would never admit it to him, she wouldn’t want to feed his ego anymore then she had to.

She contemplated to herself. Was she really ready to throw away her only family for a boy she just met? Percy was… well, Percy. Luke was a hero, _her_ hero. But now, he was a traitor too.

Annabeth cursed herself as soon as the thought left her mind. She had to stop thinking so selfishly. This wasn’t just an argument between a few friends. The fate of the world relied on this decision. Whatever side she followed, whoever she named leader, would save the world, or destroy it.

“Use your wisdom, Annie. Think about this. The gods never cared for us; they never have. This is our only chance to end them once and for all.” Luke announced, gaining the attention of some nearby campers who were making their way to the minibus that would take them home for the year. “It could be like the old times, remember? Just you and me, free from camp and the gods. Isn’t that what you want?”

To everyone's surprise, Annabeth walked forward. “Luke, you know I’d always be there for you…” Annabeth was within close range to him now, and reached out her hand as if she were to caress his cheek but in speed quicker than anyone could anticipate, she punched him directly in the face and knocked Backbiter into the sky in one swift motion, “But this is not what I want.”

Her knife was held at his throat; the celestial bronze knife he had gifted her all those years ago on the night they met. When he made promises of family; of a life of safety and love for the three of them. But then Thalia died, and after that all he spoke were empty words.

The atmosphere around them seemed to turn cold. Whatever love Luke had for her, all those years of friendship, all the time they spent building their family vanished alongside the chill breeze that flowed between them. Eyes that were once full of kindness were filled with anger and rage. Anger at the gods, anger at Chiron and Camp Half-Blood and anger at herself.  
“It’s over, Luke. You’ve gone too far,” She dug her knife deeper into his neck, but still kept her grip light enough not to break the skin.

“No, Annabeth.” He leaned in closer to her, disregarding the blade threatening him. “This is just the beginning.”

He clicked his fingers, and campers around his gasped and retreated back. Annabeth noticed a bright light shine from behind her. She spun around and gaped at the hole forming in the ground and a scorpion crawling out of it.

Within a heartbeat, the scorpion launched itself onto Percy and buried the sharp of its tail into his thigh. Unfazed by the initial attack, Percy swatted it away, but almost immediately he collapsed to the floor.

Annabeth recognised the scorpion from Chrion’s monster fighting class. It was small, nimble and completely camouflaged under the cover of darkness; it could sneak into a cabin and kill all its residents with venom that would burn the victim from the inside out, all in-  
“60 seconds,” Luke whispered in her ear, the words correlating with her thoughts, “60 seconds until Perseus Jackson goes straight back to the underworld.”

Annabeth wanted to scream, turn and shove her knife into Luke’s chest and send him back to the Underworld. But she couldn’t pull her gaze away from Percy. He was rolling on the floor, shouting and begging for the pain to stop.

Without a second thought, Annabeth ran to her friend’s aid.

Annabeth took a few steps and fell to her knees.

Disregarding the fall, she attempted to run again, but her feet could not move more than a few inches.

She looked down, and clawed at the chains that had appeared on her ankles. She jammed her knife into the lock, but they did not budge. With no time to think, she rolled over and started to crawl.

By the time she was close, Percy’s body was still and his skin boiled and blistering, but his chest continued to rise, slowly and barely visible. Annabeth reached out her hand to touch his face, but her arm fell downward.

In shock, she threw herself backwards, but now her hands were chained too.

The coldness of the stone beneath her and the icy air made her tremble. Camp was gone. Where Percy’s body lay, was now a field of emptiness. Blue sky and clouds filled the world around her.

In the distance, the city of San Francisco laid before her. Streets busy with cars, the parks and beaches, even the Golden Gate Bridge was visible to her from this height. All crowded with mortals going about their day, living their lives without the constant fear of gods or monsters. None had to worry about a prophecy that would decide the fate of the world.

Oh, how she wished to be one of them, even for a single moment. All Annabeth wanted was to climb down from Mt. Tamalpais and see the city, gain inspiration from its architecture and then decide on how she would have built it better. But alas, that was not her role to play.

“Annabeth..?” A weak voice spoke out from far behind her. It was shallow and full of pain, but recognisable.  
“Luke, what have you done?” She continued to stare into the open sky.  
“I’m sorry, Annie,” He coughed and sputtered between breaths, “Please, Annie, help me,”

Reluctantly, Annabeth turned to face him. The sight of her old friend with his face bruised and bloody, his nose misshapen and the desperate look in his eyes made her heart sink.

“What happened to you?” Annabeth asked, her voice barely audible.  
“Kronos… Atlas… they tricked me.” He moaned, “Please, Annie… help me…”

She felt her legs start to move, despite her mind screaming at them to stop. She knew the outcome. She knew how Luke would betray her again but her heart had taken over.

As she approached, she realised how terrible he really looked. Luke’s eyes were bloodshot, with bags underneath that would suggest he hasn’t slept in years. His skin was coloured purple and blue and a trail of blood leading from his nose had soaked the top of his shirt.

All anger she felt towards him, all the disdain and sadness that has festered for the past two years had melted away. Luke needed her, and deep down, she knew she still needed him.

Annabeth reached out her hand, and Luke met it with a firm grasp. But instead of pulling himself up, he wrenched her into the rocks.

Immediately, she felt an extraordinary pain rush through her body. Not only did she feel the weight of the boulder at her back, but the entire world. Her hands instinctively shot above her head to catch whatever weight was about to crush her.  
“Luke… what did you… do?” She stammered under the pressure.

An answer wasn’t necessary, almost as soon as she asked the question she figured it out herself. She was carrying the sky, _Atlas’ burden._

Her mind didn’t have time to dwell before the world around her began to fade, the only consistency was Luke. His blue eyes turn to gold but remained locked with hers, his stern expression only worsening.

The physical weight upon her shoulders dissipated, but the emotional pain became even more unbearable.

Surrounding Annabeth was the throne room in Olympus, with the Olympian’s thrones laid out before her. For a moment, she could almost imagine them there; just like they were when she was 12 years old, while they decided whether Percy was too dangerous or not to vaporise him on the spot.

They had let them live, but now she questioned whether that was the right answer or not. If they died all those years ago, they wouldn’t be here now. This battle would be led by another half-blood, the great prophecy would be passed onto another.

But fate did not work out that way, it never picked the easy option, no. It was her fate to be here, it was her and Percy who were destined to defend Olympus against Kronos.

Her attention turned back to Luke. He towered over her, his sword raised above her, ready to strike down and send her to the underworld.

It was Kronos whose eyes stared at her, but it was Luke’s soul behind them. Ever since Luke gave his body to the Titan Lord, so he could fully awake from his slumber, everyone thought that he was gone, that there was no chance of saving Luke. But she refused to believe it. No matter how hard she tried to push him out of her heart, no matter how hard she tried to forget about the boy he once was, and accept that _this_ _is the life he chose;_ she just couldn’t let go. No, she had to get through to him, she just had to.

Her mind focused intensely on the past, and she saw Luke and she wanted to remember him. 14 years old again, a face unscarred, blue eyes full of hope for the future, _their future._

A tear rolled down her face as the memories flowed through her once again. Memories of family, love and acceptance. Memories that she would never be able to forget.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She croaked, “Family, Luke. You promised.”

Luke stared at the knife in Annabeth’s hand, the knife she didn’t realise she was holding, and the blood on her face.  
“Promise.” He gasped and stumbled like he suddenly wasn’t able to breath. “Annabeth…”

Though the voice wasn’t Kronos, nor was it Luke. It was… Percy?

“Annabeth.” Percy was looking at her as they walked. She felt reassured having him so close. With Percy by her side, Annabeth felt like she could do anything - fight any monster, overcome anything laid in her path; as long as they were together.  
“So this is where the rivalry started,” Percy said.

It wasn’t until then that she realised where they were. They were in her mother’s patron city; Athens. Above them was an army of giants, titans and monsters, all gathered to celebrate the awakening of the Earth Mother. All waiting for the final piece - two half-blood sacrifices.

Just as the anxiety started to build up, Percy pulled her in close and kissed her. It was sweet and tender, a final reminder of what she was fighting for. She was fighting for friends, for family and for love. For a world where she and Percy could live happily together, forever.

“The rivalry ends here…” _I love you, wise girl._ She knew his words, it was one of her most fond memories. No matter how hard living had become, she had this one moment to remind her there is still good in the world.

But Percy didn’t open his mouth again.

Annabeth felt pain radiate from her stomach, she pulled her gaze away from Percy’s face to the sword lodged in her abdomen. Her orange camp t-shirt was turning red from her blood seeping out.

She staggered back, barely able to stand and her vision turned blurry.  
“Percy..?”

He marched forward and pulled Riptide from her body and threw it down the tunnel.  
“The rivalry. Ends. Here.” His lips moved, but it was Gaia’s voice that spoke.  
“No…” She mumbled. “No… no…”

Annabeth fell to the floor and the world went black.

_I couldn’t leave her._

_You’re my friend, seaweed brain._

_I know you’ll do what’s best for Annabeth._

_As long as we’re together._

When her vision returned, her friends were stood around her. Piper, Leo, Luke, Thalia, all of them. Her father too, and even Chiron. Though Percy was the only one she could focus on.

It was everyone she ever cared for, everyone she ever loved.

“Oh, Annabeth. Did you really think we cared about you?” Piper asked from behind her.

“Such a stupid girl. She actually believed us.” Leo laughed from beside Piper.

What is happening? They must be lying… they had to be… they had to…

“You were always a disappointment, Miss Chase,” Chiron mumbled to her right.

Her father nodded in agreement, “You never should have come home. We were always better off without you.”

No… Her father wanted her to come home… He wanted to be a family again… right? Right?!

She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. The pain from her stomach didn’t bother her anymore. The voices ringing in her ears was more than enough to distract her.

“You left me to die!” Thalia shouted.  
“No… please…” Annabeth cried out, “I tried… I tried-“

“You could have saved me. But you let Kronos take me instead.” Luke spat at her, but she had no energy to attempt to dodge it.  
“I couldn’t… I wanted to…”

Percy crouched down and met her eyes, “Did you really think I could ever love you?”

Those words… Percy would never say that… he wouldn’t… he… he…

Annabeth couldn’t take anymore. Her breaths became short and quick and her heart felt like it turned to stone in her chest. Her sobbing was uncontrollable but their voices didn’t stop. She laid on the floor and cradled her head, doing whatever she could to block out the world.

“Stop! Stop! Please!” Annabeth screamed.

_You will never have a place at Camp Half-Blood._

_You will never be remembered._

_You are no daughter of mine._

“No! No!” She shrieked, “STOP!”

Annabeth woke up screaming.

And she couldn’t stop.

“Hey, hey!” She heard a soft voice beside her, “Annabeth, it’s okay! It’s okay!”

Percy lifted her face so she could see he was there, feel his warmth so she knew he was real. Through her tears she saw his green eyes, his black hair and the concerned look on his face. She struggled to see the faces of her siblings behind him, but she knew they were all staring; most with concern, and few with annoyance.

“Percy?” She sobbed. He laid down next to Annabeth and tried to wipe her tears away. With every movement, she felt her nerves cry out for help. Though she was in the safety of her bunk, in her mother's cabin, unharmed; her body still felt the burdens of her mind endeavours. Her breaths were laborious, her spine and shoulders ached and throbbed, she could almost feel a hole in her abdomen. And if the light was not on, she could have mistook her sweat for blood.

“I’m right here, okay? I’m never going anywhere. I would never leave you.” Percy attempted to reassure her.

“I know.” She mumbled, “I know.”

“I love you, wise girl,”

“I know,”


End file.
